(a) Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate to the field of network communication. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention relate generally to verifying web-based communication.
(B) Related Art
The Internet includes a set of computer networks that follow a particular communication protocol to communicate with each other. The Internet is comprised of high speed data communication lines between major nodes or host computers. These nodes consist of thousands of commercial, government, educational, and other computer systems that route data and communication between users, content providers, third-party Internet-based services, access providers, etc.
Through the Internet, a new range of services for users is possible. Because of the world-wide reach of Internet communication, users from around the world are able to access and utilize services that are provided over the Internet. For example, bill payment on-line has the potential of making the chore of paying monthly bills simpler, easier, and more satisfying than the traditional method of paying bills in person or through the mail. In one case, a direct-billing model is provided over the Internet for users to pay bills online directly to billers. In this case, individual billers have developed their own web sites for clients to pay bills electronically. In the direct billing model, a biller (e.g., a utility company) allows their customers to pay bills electronically over the Internet.
These new services are based upon dependable communication between a user and a third-party Internet-based service providing the services. For instance, before the customer can utilize the on-line billing services, the customer needs to set up an account with the direct biller through the Internet. Many times, this involves having the customer interact with a direct biller web site in order to send a request to the direct billing web site to apply for an account. In this process, information is passed from the customer to the direct biller to set up the direct billing services. This information may include customer name, address, bank account from which funds will be electronically drawn upon to pay the bills, etc. After receipt of the request, the direct biller checks the information before granting authorization for the customer to pay bills on-line. For example, the direct biller needs to verify that the bank account is a valid bank account from which funds can be drawn.
However, Internet-based communication can be undependable. This is especially the case for write operations (e.g., submitting data) to the third-party Internet-based service. Read operations are readily verifiable in a real-time mode, since the returned data is viewable. In the present case, in the process of setting up an account, communication between a customer and a direct biller is a fluid process that can be routed through different communication paths through varying routers, switches, and hubs depending on availability. That is, a communication path between a customer and a third-party Internet-based service is not static. As such, connections between a user and a third-party Internet-based service can be dropped for many reasons at any time. The dropped connection can occur at any point along the communication path, for example, at the client's Internet service provider, or the server associated with the third-party Internet-based service, or at any point in between. Moreover, quick diagnosis of the problem may not be detectable.
In particular, for a customer trying to set up an account with a direct biller in order to pay bills on-line, two problems may occur. First, verification of receipt of the request may be difficult to determine, especially when communication between the customer and the direct biller is dropped sometime during the transaction. For instance, even though the direct biller did receive the request and sent a verification response, if the communication path went down, the customer would not receive the verification and would not know if the direct biller did receive the request.
Secondly, even after verification of receipt of the request is determined, the direct biller must still authorize the customer to use the account. In this case, the direct biller may advise the customer to wait for a period of time before coming back to the direct biller's web site to determine if the account is activated. As such, the customer must periodically go back and check with the direct biller to verify that the account has been authorized, thereby allowing the customer to utilize the direct billing services. This process can be time consuming and tedious for the customer making the process of setting up the account undesirable to the user.
So there are in Internet services, such as on-line bill payment, many shortcomings and problems for an ordinary person intent on paying bills on-line. What is clearly needed is a consolidated system for bill paying that is inherently reliable, and minimizes interaction time and effort for the payer.